List of Named Galaxies

This is a list of galaxies that are well known by something other than an entry in a catalog or list, or a set of coordinates, or a systematic designation.

Galaxy	Constellation	Origin of name	Notes
Milky Way Galaxy	Sagittarius(centre)	This is the galaxy that contains Earth, it is named after the nebulosity in the night sky that marks the densest concentration of stars of our galaxy in the sky, which appears to blur together into a faint glow, called the Milky Way.
Andromeda	Andromeda	Commonly just Andromeda, this, called the Andromeda Galaxy, Andromeda Nebula,Great Andromeda Nebula, Andromeda Spiral Nebula, and such, has been traditionally called Andromeda, after the constellation in which it lies.
Bode's Galaxy	Ursa Major	Named for Johann Elert Bode who discovered this galaxy in 1774.
Cartwheel Galaxy	Sculptor	Its visual appearance is similar to that of a spoked cartwheel.
Cigar Galaxy	Ursa Major	Appears similar in shape to a cigar.
Comet Galaxy	Sculptor	This galaxy is named after its unusual appearance, looking like a comet.	The comet effect is caused by tidal stripping by its galaxy cluster, Abell 2667.
Hoag's Object	Serpens Caput	This is named after Art Hoag, who discovered this ring galaxy.	It is of the subtype Hoag-type galaxy, and may in fact be a polar-ring galaxywith the ring in the plane of rotation of the central object.
Large Magellanic Cloud	Dorado/Mensa	Named after Ferdinand Magellan	This is the fourth largest galaxy in the Local Group, and forms a pair with theSMC, and from recent research, may not be part of the Milky Way system of satellites at all.
Small Magellanic Cloud	Tucana	Named after Ferdinand Magellan	This forms a pair with the LMC, and from recent research, may not be part of the Milky Way system of satellites at all.
Mayall's Object	Ursa Major	This is named after Nicholas U. Mayall, of the Lick Observatory, who discovered it.	Also called VV 32 and Arp 148, this is a very peculiar looking object, and is likely to be not one galaxy, but two galaxies undergoing a collision. Event in images is a spindle shape and a ring shape.
Pinwheel Galaxy	Ursa Major	Similar in appearance to a pinwheel (toy).
Sombrero Galaxy	Virgo	Similar in appearance to a sombrero.
Sunflower Galaxy	Canes Venatici
Tadpole Galaxy	Draco	The name comes from the resemblance of the galaxy to a tadpole.	This shape resulted from tidal interaction that drew out a long tidal tail.
Whirlpool Galaxy	Canes Venatici	From the whirlpool appearance this gravitationally disturbed galaxy exhibits.

source : www.wikipedia.org

List of Nearest Galaxies

5 Closest Galaxies

Rank	Galaxy	Distance	Notes
1	Milky Way Galaxy	0	This is our galaxy, we are part of it.
2	Omega Centauri	0.0183 Mly
3	Canis Major Dwarf	0.025 Mly
4	Virgo Stellar Stream	0.030 Mly
5	Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy	0.081 Mly
6	Large Magellanic Cloud	0.163 Mly
Mly represents millions of light-years, a measure of distance. Distances are measured from Earth, with Earth being at zero.

Nearest Galaxies by Type

Title	Galaxy	Date	Distance	Notes
Nearest galaxy	Milky Way	always	0	This is our galaxy
Nearest galaxy to our own	Canis Major Dwarf	2003	0.025 Mly
Nearest dwarf galaxy	Canis Major Dwarf	2003	0.025 Mly
Nearest large galaxy to our own	Andromeda Galaxy	always	2.54 Mly	First identified as a separate galaxy in 1923
Nearest giant galaxy	Centaurus A		12 Mly

Nearest Neighbouring Galaxy Title-holder

Galaxy	Date	Distance	Notes
Canis Major Dwarf	2003 -	0.025 Mly
Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy	1994 − 2003	0.081 Mly
Large Magellanic Cloud	antiquity − 1994	0.163 Mly	This is the upper bound, as it is nearest galaxy observable with the naked-eye.
Small Magellanic Cloud	1913–1914		This was the first intergalactic distance measured. In 1913, Ejnar Hertzsprung measures the distance to SMC using Cepheid variables. In 1914, he did it for LMC.
Andromeda Galaxy	1923		This was the first galaxy determined to be not part of the Milky Way.
Mly represents millions of light-years, a measure of distance. Distances are measured from Earth, with Earth being at zero.

• Omega Centauri does not appear on this list because is not currently considered a galaxy, per se, it is considered a former galaxy, and all that remains of one that was cannibalized by the Milky Way.

source : www.wikipedia.org